Ćesić and Paoletti settle the question of the winner at the CRO M24 Cup in Zadar with a Match Race duel

As many as 19 crews gathered at the second CRO M24 Cup regatta in Zadar this year. Sailing conditions were ideal, and the victory was ultimately won by the Split crew on the Melges Razjaren.

After the first CRO M24 Cup regatta in Biograd was not sailed, everything came to a head last weekend at the CRO M24 Cup regatta in Zadar. There were again 19 boats on the starting list, which pleasantly surprised the organizers. The conditions were perfect this time, because the south wind blew from 15 to 20 knots during both days. Under these ideal conditions, all six scheduled races were held.

The sailing was tense and even. The competition was tough, as was expected, since the top Italian crews on the Melgina and Strambapapa sailed to the regatta. Of the foreign crews, the Italian crew on the Daito Nano and the Norwegian crew on the Party Girl also sailed in Zadar.

The winner of the CRO M24 Cup regatta in Zadar was decided in the last race, in which the crews led by Ante Ćesić (Razjaren) and Michele Paoletti (Strambapapa) competed. In that last race, Paoletti and Ćesić entered the Match Race. In the end, Ćesić managed to get out of that situation and finish fourth, which was just enough for him to win. The two crews ultimately had the same number of points, but the Melges Razjaren crew had victories in two races and was therefore declared the overall winner of the regatta in Zadar. Third place was taken by the crew led by Paolo Brescia on the Melgina sailboat.

In the Corinthian category, the best was the crew of Melgesa Little A. – they finished the regatta in 8th place overall. Two junior, or U25, crews also competed, and the best job was done by the crew of the sailboat Panjić Jr., led by Lucijan Jakovljev. They finished the regatta in 11th place. The crew of Cro-a-sail, led by Miroslav Reljanović, was not in the U25 competition this time, as it was reinforced by two older sailors – the experienced Stjepan Vitaljić and Zvonko Jelačić. Zvonko Jelačić is a four-time world champion and the most successful world sailor in the IOM class of all time.

The U25 crew on the Melgesa Otavić, led by Edo Fike, had their regatta premiere in front of Zadar. Although they are sailing on arguably the oldest boat, with a hull number of 166, the young crew from the Kostrena-based Galeb club held up well during all six races. They showed that they can compete with the best Croatian sailors and kept up with them, finishing the race in 16th place.

The regatta in Zadar saw the first use of Vakaros' Race Sense system for detecting premature starts. And it passed the test, as there was only one individual recall during the six races held and no general recalls. The Race Sense system will be used in all future CRO M24 Cup regattas. Smartmark "Smart buoys" were also used in Zadar, which also contributed to everything functioning flawlessly at sea.

The next CRO M24 Cup regatta will be sailed from 9 to 12 April in Opatija. It will also be the first regatta of the European Series, so a large number of foreign crews are expected to arrive. The Italian crews on Melgesima Strambapapa and Melgina have confirmed their arrival, and the organizers believe that a few more crews from nearby Trieste, which is the largest base of the Italian M24 fleet, will come to Opatija. They also hope to see several Slovenian, Austrian and other crews from central and northern Europe.

Photo: regate.com.hr